Patients Seek FDA Ban Of Fibroid Removal Devices

WASHINGTON (July 11, 2014) More than a dozen people including cancer patients, their family members and physicians called on federal health regulators Friday to bar the use of electronic surgical tools which can inadvertently spread cancer throughout the body.

An expert panel of U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers on Friday heard impassioned pleas from women with cancer and family members of deceased patients who said they were unaware of the cancer risks involved in the popular technique for treating fibroids.

The FDA convened a two-day meeting to review the risks of power morcellator devices.

Surgeons use the tools to grind and shred uterine tissue so it can be removed through a small incision in the abdomen, instead of a larger opening for traditional surgery.

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